In this real and raw episode, Tom and Adam peel back the curtain on the behind-the-scenes journey of creating a podcast as accidental CEOs—and why it’s okay to still be figuring things out after 130+ episodes. They dive deep into the mindset shifts needed to thrive as a business owner, why calculated risk is essential, and how to balance commitment with joy in your business.

This episode is your reminder that success isn't about perfection—it's about progress, persistence, and perspective.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

🎙 The Imperfect Journey of Entrepreneurship

• Starting a podcast was never part of the original plan—yet here they are, still evolving with every episode.
• Entrepreneurship isn't about having all the answers; it's about showing up, trying, failing, and improving along the way.

📊 Why Accidental CEOs Fixate on Results

• Many new entrepreneurs focus only on outcomes—30, 60, 90-day results—without embracing the learning curve.
• The truth: You can’t achieve greatness without calculated risk and unwavering commitment.

💡 The CEO Mindset: Commitment, Effort, Obsession

• Success demands more than interest—it requires obsession-level commitment.
• Dabbling doesn’t build empires. You’re either all in or you’re in the way.

❌ The Saboteur of Avoidance

• Avoiding failure is a form of self-sabotage.
• If you don’t try, you've already failed. Failing forward is key to leadership and growth.

👥 Building a Culture That Accepts Failure

• As you grow a team, your role evolves to include modeling how to fail and recover with grace.
• Failing should be baked into your culture—it’s how learning and innovation happen.

🔄 Start–Stop–Continue: A 90-Day Business Reset

• Simple exercise: Every 90 days, assess what you need to stop, start, and continue doing.
• Helps reframe your priorities and create intentional business planning.

🏆 Celebrate Your Wins (Seriously!)

• Too many business owners forget to enjoy their success.
• Take time to reflect, appreciate, and actually live the life you’ve worked hard to build.

🔍 The Power of Perspective

• You may not notice your own growth because you're too close to it.
• Like seeing a child grow—others notice it more. Step back and reflect on your timeline.

🎯 Focus on the ONE Thing

• The most powerful change? Pick one thing and go all in for 12 months.
• Mastery, authority, and results come from focused, consistent execution.

🛠 Tools & Techniques Mentioned:

• Start–Stop–Continue Exercise (every 90 days)
• Retrospective Timeline Analysis for measuring progress
• Accidental CEO Workshop: 90-minute business clarity session

🙌 Final Thought:

“You have to suck in order to have success. And if you never give yourself the chance to acknowledge what’s going right, what’s going wrong will always feel heavier.”

🎟️ Want More?

Join Tom and Adam in their next Accidental CEO Workshop — a 90-minute experience to uncover what's working, what's not, and what you need help with. Collaborate with other entrepreneurs and leave with a custom action plan.

👉 Register now at :

In this powerful and candid episode, Tom and Adam delve into the challenges and mindset shifts that every accidental CEO faces when transitioning into a confident and intentional business leader. They unpack the paradox of creating content that truly helps without preaching, the patterns they observe in their coaching clients, and the recurring struggles business owners face—especially when it comes to asking for help, managing focus, and navigating the unpredictable trio of clients, employees, and money.

You’ll walk away with actionable insights and thought-provoking reflections that will help you step more fully into your CEO role—whether your business is just getting off the ground or scaling toward seven figures and beyond.

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

💡 Serving vs. Preaching

• Why helping your audience with what they need (not what you assume they want) changes your communication.
• The balance between authenticity and avoiding the "expert trap" of telling people what to do.

🧠 The Accidental CEO’s Dilemma

• The emotional journey of turning a side hustle into a full-time business.
• How excitement turns into overwhelm when entrepreneurs realize what running a business really takes.

🧭 From Chaos to Clarity

• The power of asking just three questions:

1. What's going right?
2. What's going wrong?
3. What do you need help with?

• Why focus matters more than hustle—and how unfinished tasks steal your energy and clarity.

🧨 Saboteurs & Self-Sabotage

• How the Restless and Controller saboteurs derail growth.
• Why perfectionism and control stop CEOs from delegating and scaling.
• The trap of thinking you have to “do it all” and “know it all.”

🔄 Managing the Cycle: Clients, Employees, and Money

• The endless loop of needing clients to get money, money to hire employees, and employees to serve clients.
• Why mastering the management of this cycle is key to sustainable success.

📶 Signal vs. Noise

• Learning to identify your “signal” (your highest-impact tasks) and delegate the “noise.”
• How to embrace your role as a true CEO and move away from busywork.

🤝 Building Relationships That Drive Revenue

• Why relationship-building—not hard selling—is the CEO’s real job.
• How authentic conversations create opportunity.
• Tips for people who struggle with networking or social anxiety.

📚 Resources Mentioned:

• Book Recommendation: Who Not How by Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy
• Quote Spotlight: “Perfect the details and have as few details as possible.” — Jack Dorsey

🔧 Actionable Takeaways:

1. Assess your role daily – Are you doing CEO work or just staying busy?
2. Ask for help – From mentors, employees, coaches, or vendors.
3. Focus on signal, not noise – Stick to your 3–5 must-do tasks.
4. Get clear on your next step – Don’t try to solve everything at once.
5. Invest in relationships – They’re the real currency of growth.

💥 Want More?

👉 Join our FREE Accidental CEO Workshop – Real-time coaching and clarity on your next steps.

🌐 Visit

In this heartfelt episode, we dive deep into the real reasons behind why so many small business owners and entrepreneurs take the leap—often unintentionally—into the role of CEO. From building a business around family needs to redefine success with purpose and intention, this conversation explores what it truly means to live life and run a business on your own terms.

Our hosts reflect on their own journeys into entrepreneurship, the struggles of balancing parenting with business, and how the pursuit of presence—not just profit—can lead to a more fulfilling life and business.

💡 Key Topics Discussed:

🏠 Building a Business Around Family

• The catalyst for starting the business: being more present for children.
• The challenges of corporate life and the decision to prioritize family over career.
• Real stories of attending client meetings on the road while supporting children’s dreams.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 From Corporate to Coaching: A Personal Journey

• Transitioning from a traditional 9-5 to a remote, flexible business model.
• Designing work hours around kids’ schedules—and why that worked even better for clients.

💼 The Accidental CEO Phenomenon

• Why so many business owners never intended to become CEOs.
• How accidental CEOs build businesses out of a skill or need, not strategy.
• The importance of asking, “What do you want?”—and why so many struggle to answer it.

🎯 Purpose, Vision, and Mission Explained

• The danger of being “busy” without intention.
• Redefining vision as decision-making direction, and mission as daily action.
• Why your vision must drive your decisions, and your mission must align with daily actions.

🧠 Presence and the Trap of “Always Building”

• Why new entrepreneurs can’t stay present—and how to break free.
• The shift from building to running your business as a pathway to peace and clarity.
• Solving today’s problems so you can plan for tomorrow’s dreams.

🧱 Simplify to Scale

• How success often leads to overcomplication.
• The counterintuitive truth: doing less but better is the path to growth.
• Why the most successful entrepreneurs take on unreasonable effort to achieve simplicity.

💬 Limiting Beliefs & Relationship Shifts

• How societal and relational beliefs hold accidental CEOs back.
• The impact of friends and family projecting their limitations onto entrepreneurs.
• Personal growth often means changing who you spend time with.

🔦 Client Spotlight:

• A young man inheriting a $4M construction business struggling to find his “why.”
• A single mom esthetician transforming her business and motherhood by letting go of people-pleasing.

🛠️ Tools & Resources Mentioned:

• Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield – for navigating friendship shifts and leveling up.
• The Simple Focus System – a tool to align your vision, mission, and action.
• Free Tools and Resources from Atomic Business Coaching – including assessments, courses, and workshops to help you grow as a business owner.

🔁 Quote Highlights:

“Your vision is in your